Battle of Britain American Pilots

A Short Synopsis

American Pilots in the Battle of Britain

The
sign that you see at the operations building on
Duxford Airfield.
This is the
base where Douglas Bader was CO
at during the battle.
He was a proponent of
the "Big Wing" concept which was at odds
with Air Marshall
Dowding.
The "Big Wing" concept was sucessfully
employed from 1942 onwards.

Ten American pilots flew with units under the command of RAF Fighter Command
between 10 July and 31 October 1940, thereby qualifying for the Battle of
Britain clasp to the 1939-45 British campaign star. During this period the
USA was officially neutral, but American pilots were drawn across the Atlantic
by the urgency of defending democracy in Europe and their sense of adventure.

Through special arrangement with the UK, they did not have to give up their
US Citizenship to fly for the RAF.

The first American to give his life in the Battle of Britain was Pilot Officer William M.L. Fiske of No. 601 Squadron. Fiske was a graduate of Cambridge University and a leading personality in the American bob sleigh teams that won the Olympic championships in 1928 and 1932. he died in hospital on 17 August 1940 after bringing back his damaged Hurricane to Tangmere.

Also with No. 601 Squadron was Flying Officer Carl R. Davis, one of a small
number of Americans who had seen active service with he RAF before the Battle
of Britain. He had taken part in the attack on the German seaplane base at
Borkum on 28 November 1939.

A British Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane on the old German
airfield at Falaise France in 1994.

American pilots in the thick of the action also included Pilot Officers Vernon C. Keough, Andrew Mamedoff and Eugene Q. Tobin on No. 609 Squadron. This trio had traveled to Europe with the original intention of joining the French Air Force. A notable American in Duxford's history is Pilot Officer Phillip H. Leckrone from Salem, Illinois. He was a member of No. 616 Squadron and fought alongside the British, Commonwealth, Czech and Polish pilots of the Duxford Wing in the late stages of the Battle of Britain.

The other Americans in the Battle of Britain were Pilot Officers Arthur G.
Donahue, John K. Haviland, Hugh W. Reilley (64 and 66 Sqds), De Peyster Brown.
The last one mentioned flew with No. 1 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force
which arrived in Britain in June 1940.

Some of the above individuals later became members of the three Eagle Squadrons
made up of exclusively of American pilots and formed between September 1940
and October 1941. These were No 71, 121 and 133 Squadrons.

The Eagle squadrons
operated as part of the RAF Fighter Command on convoy escort duties and
fighter sweeps over France. All three were involved in the intense battle of
Dieppe on 19 August 1942.

In the late autumn of 1942 the USA had fully entered the war
in Europe and the three RAF "Eagle" Squadrons were transferred to the 8th US
Air Force and became the 4th Fighter Group. The promise
not to transfer any members away lasted a month. Around 1/2 were transferred
to other units, back to the states to train other pilots soon after becoming
officers in the 8th Air Force. Initially the 4th FG continued to fly Spitfires
till they were re-equipped with P-47 Thunderbolts.

Some members refused to transfer into the US Forces and remained as part of
the RAF throughout the war.

Of all the Americans who flew in the Eagle Squadrons - 244 - over 50% ware
WIA, KIA or POWs by the time the 4th FG was established in the US 8th Air Force.

Official List of Battle Of Britain Pilots

Pilot Stories of WW-II

There are tens of thousands of books out there on World War Two but there
are likely less than 10,000 books that deal with an individual. Yet there are
many stories that should be recorded for posterity. There are some real good
books on the market talking about individual stories like Ian McLachlan's book,
USAAF Fighter Stories (ISBN # 1 85260 5693; published by PSL) and then
there are Tom Brokaw's book which only talks with the MOST famous people already
known and to the "average" person who fought in WW2.

I have heard stories from around 35 people so far. Most have only rarely talked
about their experiences. I will be writing them up and posting them here as
time permits. They include Navy, Air Corps, Army, British pilots and other
military branches.